2025 NBA playoffs are running, and our NBA internal sources have covered you for every game in the final in March.
Saturday’s slate of the Eastern Conference Sports saw the number 4 Indiana pacers easily handling the 5—seed milk box, which will now wait for whether Damian Lillard will return to action for Lylad Game 2. Meanwhile, No. 3 Seed New York Nax defeated a magnificent Madison Square Garden Crowd for Number 6 Seed Detroit Piston for Game 1.
On Sunday, the top two teams started their postsen runs. Number 2 Boston Cultics No. 1 Seed Cleveland Cavelers welcomes Miami Heat, who became the first 10-seed team to escape the play-in tournament and reach the playoffs. Defending champion Boston Celtix traded against 7-seed Orlando Magic.
Here stood out of Saturday’s results because we prepare you for Sunday’s game.
Jump for a series:
Cavalers-Heat | Celtics-Magic
Nax-piston | Pacers box
More coverage:
West First-round Techwae
Schedule and results | Offsin guide
Game 1: Celtics 103, Magic 86
What we learned:
Even when Caltix got stuck in mud, and even when Jayalan Brown and Jason Tatam are getting away from nights-the Al-NBA pair has combined the 14-for-36 and 1-for-10 to shoot deeply-Defected Champions have enough aggressive weapons. Petan Persian and Deric White, who combined to hit 11 out of Boston’s 16 3-pointers, on Sunday entered the fourth quarter to help the spark to convert a one-point halftime deficit into an 11-point lead. Most important for Celtics: Brown, 2024 final MVP, went well after recalling the final three regular-season games with bone scratches in their right knee and finished with 16 points in 30 minutes.
Game 2: Magic in Celtics (Wednesday, 7 ET, TNT)
what to watch:
Tatam’s right wrist will be worth monitoring after a difficult dishonesty and hard fall on driving sting attempts in the fourth quarter. For magic, Star Forward Paolo Banchero (36 points) can only do so much. He and Team’s partner Franz Wagner scored or assisted 77 out of 86 points of Magic. If Orlando wants to make a better aggressive effort in game 2, it will need to avoid junior holiday. According to ESPN Research, Boston’s Stopper held a magic for shooting 2 -for -11 with five turnover as primary defender in Game 1.
– Baxter Homes
Game 1: Summer in cavaliers (Sunday, 7 pm ET, TNT)
One thing to see from cavaliers:
Will they be the elite class from 3? Before March 11, the cav 3-point was number 1 in shooting percentage and topped for months. Since then, they are 19th. Who will be when it matters? Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are the great playmakers and shotmakers, and Caves Ivan covers their defensive shortcomings with a great back line in Moblay and Geratte Alan. But it works much better when their lead guards are making 3S. Mitchell shot 39% and 30% before the all-star break. Garland shot 43% before and after 34%. They combine 16 triples to take a game, so these percentage is a big difference for their margin for error in swings. , Brian Windhorst
One thing to see from heat:
There is no way that can do heat again … or they can? After sending both bulls and hooks on the road over a period of three days, after forming the first 10-seed to make a playoffs, the heat will now try to get out of the first round before the play-in. This time not having Jimmy Butler III, however, there is a big difference. But the heat spent all the season to play well for three quarters, only to get stuck in the fourth again and again. If they can avoid this in this series, they have the ability to make it a little interesting at least. , Tim bontemps
Game 1: Nax 123, Piston 112
What we learned:
Fair or not, entering the chain, there was a lot of talk about the collective playoff experience of the niches relative to the piston, which facilitates a handful of prominent youth. The aspect was difficult to deny late, when Detroit opened the fourth period with a five-second inbound violation of the five-second at the Madison Square Garden, then did the turnover with a shot watch violation. This was a sign of the coming things, as New York jumped on mistakes and a season-Best went 21–0 and went into a stretch of 4 and a minute.
Detroit had a lot to feel good through three quarters. This work was done defensively on Jalen Brunson. Its ability to turn OG Ennobi into a one-person crime. Piston’s vacancy and ball movement were solid, even Cad Cunningham was placed down in a scoring column for stretch. But all this separated to start fourth-a period in which New York dropped Detroit out of 40-21-and the experienced Maz never looked back.
Game 2: Piston in Nax (Monday, 7:30 pm ET, TNT)
what to watch:
Brunson’s health, which began the game by shooting 2-for-13, but then, after appearing to tick his ankle-and looked like a different player by changing his shoes. He joined five of his seven shots during the team’s major fourth quarter. When asked about the position of his star guard and the change in late sports shoes, coach Tom Thibodo said, “I think he caught his cape.”
On the other side of the laser, and surely more important because their availability is at risk, Piston is the big man Isaiah Stewart, who took the game 1 out with a clear knee issue and did not return. Jalan Duran may be the key to his materiality chain, especially with Mitchell Robinson’s bench looking stronger from the bench of New York.
, Chris Herring
Game 1: Passers 117, Box 98
What we learned:
The depth of the pacers was clear throughout the game, with the deep rotation of Indiana, Jianis Antatoconampo-centered attack of Milwauki was controlled. Indiana had some defensive answers against Antatoconampo, which ended with 36 points and 12 rebounds and displayed a period of dominance in this rematch of the first round series of the previous season. But twice the MVP ended with just one assistance, as the pacers dropped down and limited the remaining players of the milk to 34% shooting from the ground.
A major indicator of difference in ball movement between teams was clarified in overall support numbers; Indiana ended with 28, while Milwauki had only 15. This led to a specific balanced scoring attempt from pacers, in which there were five players in a double-Figure point, headed by 25 of Pascal Siakam.
Game 2: Box in pacers (Tuesday, 7 pm ET, NBA TV)
what to watch:
Meditation is now on whether Box Guard Demian Lillard will return to game 2 after being sidelined due to blood clots in its right calf since March 18. After cleaning the deep vein thrombosis, Lillard returned to practice this week, and the box could definitely use his shotmaking after a cold shooting performance from Milwauki’s tributaries in Milwauki’s Game 1.
– Stephen Holder
